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An early Government veto of bill which proposes extending paid
parental leave would be an "overreaction", a parental rights
campaigner says.

Prime Minister John Key says the Government plans to reject a
Labour bill which wants the period of paid parental leave to be
extended from 14 to 26 weeks, claiming that it cannot afford the
additional $150 million per year cost.

This is in spite of new poll results which show that the bill
has overwhelming support from many voters.

Nearly two thirds of respondents to last night's ONE News Colmar
Brunton poll say they would support extending paid parental leave
at the Government's expense.

Opponents to the bill accounted for 34% of those surveyed, while
only 4% said they were unsure.

But Rebecca Matthews from the organisation 26 For Babies told TV
ONE's Breakfast this morning that there is still plenty of time for
the Government to change their mind about Sue Moroney's bill.

"The bill is still before select committee and submissions are
still going ahead. There are details that could be worked out, for
example, the implementation date could be put forward.

"It's actually a very inexpensive policy and it is about
priorities and it seems to me that with such broad popular support,
it's really up to the Government to listen to what people want,"
she said.

Matthews said that she thinks an early Government veto would be
an "overreaction".

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"I think the veto is looking increasingly like an overreaction
to the actual cost of this policy. The latest figures I've seen,
show that the extra paid parental leave would only be $166 million
over three years.

"And as submitters said in the process, that is within the
margin of error of the Government's forecasting costs," she
said.

26 For Babies argues that the Government should let the debate
on this bill "run its course".

"The bill has attracted strong support from members of the
public and many community organisations who know that extending
paid parental leave is the right thing to do for babies, parents
and the workforce."

"The majority of MPs in Parliament support this bill also.
The Government should not use a financial veto to block the
progress of a bill helping to support families to care for their
babies at home in the early months of their life," campaigners
said.

'We don't have the money'

In response to the poll results, the Prime Minister said that
while the Government is not opposed to extending paid parental
leave, they currently do not have the means to fund the scheme.

"It's not that we are opposed. I mean no one is opposed to paid
parental leave, it's to be welcomed and more would be better, we
are not arguing that case.

"What we are saying is, there is a cost of paid parental leave
and if we increase paid parental leave beyond 14 weeks today, we
either have to not have a surplus or alternatively we have to go
along and say well we're not going to spend money on something
else. It's all about a balancing act," he said today.

Key told Breakfast that he thinks paid parental leave will be
increased in the future, but did not specify any possible start
date.

"I think paid parental leave will increase one day, it's just
not today, because we don't have the money.

"Again no one's arguing that it's unreasonable, but it's all
about affordability because in the end if we do that, we make that
case for pretty much everything," he said.

Key also said that he thinks New Zealand is "relatively
generous" in their parental entitlements.

"We have to live within our means. When we are back in surplus
and we've got choices, then I'm not all ruling paid parental leave
out in terms of expanding that. It's definitely something we'd like
to do, but it's about the timing of that issue.

"I think at 14 weeks we are about in the middle of the pack of
developed countries, we are not the most generous but we are
certainly not the least generous," he said.